South Africa’s record maize harvest this year is expected to double last year’s yield after good weather boosted production. Govt Crop Estimates Committee (CEC), which will provide its sixth production forecast for the 2017 crop on 26 July, is expected to peg the harvest at 15.77 million tonnes, up 51% rom the 7.78 million tonnes last year when an El Nino triggered drought hit yields and plantings. The 2017 crop which will surpass the previous record of 14.656 million tonnes in 1981, is expected to consist of 9.564 million tonnes of white maize and 6.206 million tonnes of the yellow variety, used mostly for animal feed.